The Check-in: Who Killed Shireen Abu-Akleh?

07/13/22 • 33 min

What is the US’ role in the Middle East? In May, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu-Akleh was killed while reporting in Jenin in the West Bank. The US finally released a statement last week both “urging accountability” for her death and saying that it cannot be determined who killed her—but if it was the Israeli military, which independent news agencies and the UN have concluded, it would surely be an accident. How can so much be held in one statement?

We discuss the statement, how it expands or contracts space for peace, and the US government’s broader strategy in the region as President Biden visits with Middle Eastern leaders in Israel, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia this week.

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Resources mentioned:

On The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, US State Department Press Statement
UN OHCHR Statement

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroup

If you’re enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!

Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or Spotify
Resources mentioned:

On The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, US State Department Press Statement
UN OHCHR Statement

Previous Episode

The Check-in: How to Celebrate Juneteenth, with Yvonne Holden

Happy Juneteenth! Today marks the second year that Juneteenth, a day celebrating the effective end of slavery in the United States, will be commemorated as a federal holiday. And it's a day to celebrate!
To mark the occasion, we brought on our friend and expert Yvonne Holden, Director of Visitor Experience and Operations at the Whitney Plantation outside of New Orleans, Louisiana, which is one of the only plantation museums in the country to focus on the lives of the enslaved.
Yvonne helps us understand the history behind the holiday, and the larger story of what the day stands for—both on the very day in 1865 when the enslaved community in Galveston, TX first learned of their freedom, and today, when the history and legacy of institutionalized slavery aren't always told. Yvonne also invites us into the ways we can celebrate Juneteenth today, both through education and the opportunity to practice joy in the midst of our implication.
Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroup

If you’re enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!

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Resources mentioned:

Learn more about The Whitney Plantation
Learn more about Telos' trip to the US South
On Juneteenth, Annette Gordon-Reed

Next Episode

The Check-in: Biden brings Orwell to Israel/Palestine

President Biden wrapped up his tour in the Middle East, and our team is still trying to make sense of the visit. There was lots of talk about democracy, freedom, and security in equal measure (eerily reminiscent of our call for "freedom, security, and dignity in equal measure"), but no mention of the underlying realities of occupation, or of the US’ profound influence to push for peace. It was Orwellian in the extreme.

This week, Todd, Greg, Jack, and Sarah discuss the visit, and why this kind of status quo diplomacy actually doesn't serve anyone in the region.

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroup

If you’re enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!

Leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts or Spotify